


Pre-Match Ritual

by Firebull



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-12 21:13:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21482935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firebull/pseuds/Firebull
Summary: Mai, just like many other duelists and performers, had her own little ritual before every match.
Relationships: Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Kujaku Mai | Mai Valentine
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29
Collections: Yu-Gi-Oh! It's Time to G-G-G-Gift! [Mini-Exchange]





	Pre-Match Ritual

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jcknits63](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jcknits63/gifts).

> As soon as I read the prompt about Mai getting ready for a duel, I knew I wanted to try it. It went into a different direction than expected, but I hope you like it! I suck at writing accents tho.

Mai, just like many other duelists and performers, had her own little ritual before every match. Nothing too fancy. Simple things that she could do under every circumstance, even when she had little time like today.

Not that Mai regretted drawing lunch out with kisses and stealing a few bites from Joey, he always blushed so cutely when she did, but it did make them late enough that they hadn't found a parking space nearby. Joey ended up dropping her off before driving off to check all car lots in the area. At least she was still on time, even if she didn't have as much time to talk to Joey as usual. But that was fine. While it was always nice, it wasn't part of the core ritual.

Too many of her duels were outside of Japan, set at a time that would be in the middle of the night for Joey. And if there was one thing she didn't want to do, it was calling him in the middle of the night. It would lead to him getting grumpy for the rest of the day. Not a good mood for a kindergarten teacher who loved to spend time with his kids to be in.

Mai looked into the mirror, checking herself over. Thankfully she didn't need to do much, just brush her hair and touch up her mascara. Maybe try out the new lipstick she got. She opened her bag of essentials and took out a brush. She brushed out the tangles that had appeared when her head rubbed against the car seat. A few strands were rearranged so they would lie perfectly.

Once done, she switched it out for her makeup pouch and pulled out her mascara. She made a mental note to get a new one soon as she'd been using it for a while now. But for now Mai used it for what it was intended to: lengthening and darkening her lashes. It gave her eyes the sharpness she loved so much. Almost as sharp as the claws of her harpies.

Speaking off... She put both the mascara and makeup pouch back and got out her deck. It was in a pristine condition as always. She fanned it out to get a good look at it. Some cards had changed over the years, but a lot were still the same cards she had when she first went up against Joey so many years ago. The monsters that seen her rise and fall so many times, yet always remained by her side.

Mai picked out the first Harpie Lady and placed a light kiss on the card, thanking her for her loyalty. She repeated that process with the second, the third, the queen... and on it went until she kissed all her girls and Harpie's Pet Dragon. It was the longest part of her ritual by far, but this she would always take her time with. She put the deck back together and loosely shuffled it once. Her opponent would do most of the shuffling anyway.

After strapping her duel disk to her arm, she secured her deck in it. She gave herself a once over in the mirror, fixing the short sleeves of her jacket that had shifted around awkwardly. She couldn't wait for warmer temperatures that allowed her to switch back to her sleeveless vests. For now she had to deal with it.

Mai pulled her new lipstick from her pocket where she had hastily placed it earlier. It was a darker tone than she usually wore. What better way to fully test it out than in the spotlight? The lipstick slid over her lips smoothly, painting them in an intense red. She rubbed her lips together before smiling widely. Oh yes, she liked this one.

She was about to grab a tissue to get rid of the excess, when Joey barged into the room. He breathed heavily from having run all the way to her.

"I... I made it... right?" He asked while greedily sucking in air.

"Right on time even."

Joey grinned, his exhaustion fading. "Good! I wouldn't want to miss you showing that guy who's boss!"

Mai laughed as she rose from her seat. Opening her arms wide, she beckoned him over. "Come here you."

He pulled her into a hug without hesitation. Always so ready to show his love and support for her. She'd never get over how lucky she was to have him in her life. His familiar scent drove away any anxiety that might've crawled out of its hiding spot during the match. Mai could've stayed like this forever if it wasn't for the comm system announcing that she was expected on stage soon.

She gave him a quick peck on the lips. But apparently she had a lot more excess than she expected. Joey's lips were almost the same intense red as hers. Good thing that she kissed her cards before putting on the lipstick. She barely managed to hold back her laughter as she pulled away.

"You should wear red more often, honey. It suits you," Mai said with a wink. She left the room quickly.

Joey sputter as he turned to look into the mirror himself. His curses followed her as she walked through the tunnel that would lead into the stage. She pulled out a pocket mirror and checked over lips one last time. Still in perfect condition. Huh. How practical.

The MC's voice echoed through the stadium. The booming sounds of the cheering audience were like an earthquake. Adrenaline rushed through her veins. Her wedding ring caught the light as she waved to the roaring crowd. She spotted Joey in the front rows, lips still tinted slightly pink. He waved enthusiastically to make up for the signs he usually brought. She smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

Mai looked at her opponent. A guy who'd been making offensive remarks about the skills of women in the pro leagues. Oh, she'd show him just why one should never underestimate a woman, especially not a woman who'd been sharpening her claws for years. Both on her own and with the help of the person that mattered the most to her. Her smile widened.

And then she won.


End file.
